Romeo and Juliet
This CD features a terrific recording of Prokofiev’s amazing score for the ballet Romeo & Juliet conducted by Valery Gergiev. The London Symphony Orchestra, under Gergiev as Principal Conductor spent much of 2008 and 2009 performing Prokofiev’s symphonies while on tour in Europe, Japan and the USA.
And in this romantic ballet, which transforms Shakespeare’s tragedy into a total dream, we have Gergiev and the LSO in the concert version, where no visual scenes are available. The question about this performance, then, is whether Valery Gergiev succeeds in making the entire score a successful concert piece. My sense is that Gergiev introduces a great deal of symphonic breadth, variety, and phrasing so that every moment is very exciting. Feel free to submit your own comments below, after listening to the following two videos.
Here is Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, No 13 Dance of the Knights, with Valery Gergiev, conducting the LSO.
And here is the Finale to Act II:
Tags: Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet, Valery Gergiev